Midwest
USG
ied carbon-equivalent footprint. All
of these initiatives are indicative of a
company that is truly committed to
being a responsible corporate citizen.
USG makes strategic investments
to help it achieve its sustainability
goals such as reducing energy use and
greenhouse gas emissions. A few examples are the installation of a 16-acre
solar power field at its Plaster City,
Calif., manufacturing plant and the
renewal of older manufacturing lines
to use less energy while safely turning
out products with higher quality. But
USG's sustainability efforts took root
long before that the production line,
at its 200,000 square-foot Corporate
Innovation Center.
"We are also looking for better raw
materials for our products and how
we can take energy out of the process," Zucco says.
USG also believes sustainability
is supported by having the right systems, processes and people in place
throughout its operations. For example, it uses an Oracle ERP system to
keep track of all manufacturing facilities and help with distribution, sales
and operational planning.
"We've been on an integrated system for over a decade, and it has paid
off because it allows us to improve
customer satisfaction and order accuracy," Zucco says. "We have an advantage by having a North American
footprint because we can be close to
our customers, reduce transportation
costs and focus on localized sourcing."
Natural Evolution
One of the company's biggest green
initiatives is focused on advanced
manufacturing and looking for ways
that USG can run its plants in a more
clean, efficient and safe manner. That
means putting resources into people
and processes, and automating tasks
66
manufacturing-today.com NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016
usg's sheetrock brand ultralight
wallboard panels are 30 percent
lighter and use less energy and
water in manufacturing.
in ways that can best use technology
and add value to USG's operations.
Additionally, USG recently completed the sale of its L&W Supply distribution business to ABC Supply Co.
Inc. The sale of L&W Supply is transformative for USG, enabling the company to right-size its balance sheet
and accelerate profitable growth,
sharpening its focus on manufacturing and innovation and creating a new
strategic customer relationship with
ABC Supply.
"It allows us to focus more on our
core manufacturing business and operations," Zucco says. "It will be good
for our industry and our company."
As the company thinks about its
short- and long-term goals from a sustainability standpoint, USG has targeted areas such as reductions in VOC
emissions and raw material and water
usage. It is also working on more local
sourcing of materials so it can reduce
its environmental impact and transportation energy usage.

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page.
If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.